Food Assistance

USAID works with partners to provide life-saving food assistance to the most vulnerable around the world and reduce hunger and malnutrition so that all people at all times have adequate, safe and nutritious food for healthy and productive lives.  

Expressing the compassion and goodwill of the people of the United States, USAID brings help and hope to millions of people around the world every year.  Through emergency food assistance activities, USAID saves lives, reduces suffering, and supports the early recovery of people affected by conflict and natural disaster emergencies, including refugees.

USAID’s development food assistance activities reduce food insecurity among vulnerable populations and help build resilience in communities facing chronic poverty and recurrent crises such as drought. Equipping people with the knowledge and tools to feed themselves reduces the need for future assistance.

Alleviating global hunger is critical to U.S. national security: where hunger persists, instability grows. By supporting the world's most vulnerable, USAID is building a more stable world and ensuring opportunity for people to lead healthy, productive lives.

Our approach to food assistance:

USAID is committed to contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and pursuing USAID’s mission to save lives and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance. USAID’s Food Assistance and Food Security Strategy challenges Food for Peace and  partners to reach as many people in need as possible with vital food assistance and strive for greater efficiency and sustainability. USAID’s approach to food assistance includes:

• Provide access to life-saving food to those in greatest need in an impartial manner, without bias or prejudice.
• Strengthen Food for Peace’s commitment to tackle food insecurity from a holistic approach to ensure people have the tools to feed themselves in the future.
• Support household, community and institutional capacities that contribute to resilience and reduce the need for U.S. food assistance.
• Build on USAID’s commitment to conflict-sensitive programming and its impact on food assistance delivery so to maximize positive impacts on social cohesion and potential for peace.
• Contribute directly to the vision, goal and objectives of Feed the Future to combat global hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, and the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy.
• Continue coordination with USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to save lives, reduce suffering and help the most vulnerable populations build a foundation for recovery and renewed self-reliance.

RELATED LINKS

• Food for Peace Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Report
• Food for Peace Fiscal Year 2019 Fact Sheet
• USAID’s Food Assistance and Food Security Strategy
• Food Assistance Overview Fact Sheet
• Food Assistance: Frequently Asked Questions
• USAID's Office of Food for Peace
• Partner with Food for Peace

RELATED SECTORS OF WORK

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Working in Crises and Conflict